More Asian Carp DNA found close to Lake Michigan

By

More Asian Carp DNA has been found close to Lake Michigan, near Chicago.

The Army Corps of Engineers has posted on its website the latest results of sampling for Asian carp DNA in the Chicago area waterway system. The data show 17 positive results for silver carp in Lake Calumet and the little Calumet River, east of underwater electric barriers that are designed to keep the invasive carp in the Illinois River system and out of the Great Lakes. Thom Cmar of the Natural Resources Defense Council says the test results are troubling.

Federal and state agencies running the carp control program say the carp DNA results prompted two days of sampling for live fish. Chris McCloud is with the Illinois DNR, and says the government is very confident that if live Asian carp are east of the electric barriers, the fish are only there in very low numbers. But environmentalists want more monitoring of the waters now and faster work on long-term carp controls.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.